


Where My Demons Hide

by XxToBoldlyGoxX



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-01-13
Packaged: 2018-05-13 17:23:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5710780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XxToBoldlyGoxX/pseuds/XxToBoldlyGoxX
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The rise and fall of Regulus Black and his brother's attempts to protect him from the dark arts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Where My Demons Hide

Sirius and Regulus Black never got along.

That's not to say they weren't civil with each other, but they didn't have that closeness that most brothers do.

Sirius was the older of the two and a bit of a rebel in his parent's eyes for he did not share in their hatred of muggles or love of the dark arts.

Regulus on the other hand was the perfect son, believing every god awful word out of his parent's mouths.

However different the two brothers were, Sirius felt oddly protective of Regulus, for he had seen how consumed his parents had become by the dark arts and he feared the same would happen to his brother.

 

 

Sirius opened his eyes.

His bedroom was dark and if not for the little bit of light peering in from behind the curtains, he would have thought it was still night.

He stood up, put on a robe over his pajamas, and opened the curtains to reveal a cloudy sky outside.

It was then that he became aware of the sound of rain falling against the rooftop.

He sighed and closed his eyes, taking in the beautiful sound, before heading to the kitchen.

As he walked through the hallways of his home number 12 Grimmauld Place, the faces in the pictures on the walls seemed to look right through him as though he was a ghost.

"I might as well be" he thought as he passed a large photo of his parents on their wedding day.

He entered the kitchen and found it empty.

"Typical" he said, rolling his eyes.

His parents were known to go out when it rained.

He assumed it was because that's when all the dark witches and wizards decided to go out since it would be easier for them to escape if anything went wrong.

Sirius made himself breakfast and sat down at the table, grabbing the nearest copy of the _Daily Prophet_ and beginning to read it.

"This is all garbage" he said, tossing it aside.

He shook his head in disgust, but as he stared down at the front page; a picture of some death eaters attacking a village, he realized he hadn't seen Regulus yet.

 

 

As he approached his room, it occurred to him that Regulus may have gone with his parents to Knockturn Alley, but the sound of movement behind his door told him otherwise.

"Hey Reg, do you want some breakfast?"

There was no reply and Sirius put his hand on the doorknob to open the door.

"I know you're in there" he said.

Still no response.

Sirius sighed in frustration and opened the door.

"Regulus, how many times do I have to te-"

Sirius couldn't remember the last time he had been in Regulus's room, but the sight he was met with took the words right out of his mouth.

Pictures of death eaters lined the walls and the spots that weren't taken up by _Daily Prophet_ pages or wanted posters were filled with drawings of the Dark Lord and handwritten spells.

Regulus sat on the floor in the center of it all, his hands black from charcoal, and three or four drawings of a snake at his feet.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sirius yelled.

Regulus didn't look up, but instead continued on the drawing he was working on.

"Answer me!"

Sirius was fuming now.

"What do you want me to say?" asked Regulus, not taking his eyes off his artwork.

Sirius had had it.

He lunged at his brother, pinning him to the ground and sending his drawings flying.

"Let me go!" Regulus spat at him.

"No, not until you tell me what all this is."

"You're smart. You figure it out."

Sirius looked around the room and then back at his brother.

"Where's your bloody house elf?" he asked.

Regulus shrugged.

"KREACHER!" Sirius yelled.

In a matter of seconds, the house elf had appeared at Regulus's door.

"Yes Sirius"

"I've called on you to ask if you know what the meaning of all these pictures is"

"Well-"

"Don't answer him, Kreacher. You obey me and me only" said Regulus.

"My apologies" said Kreacher, leaving the room, his head down and his shoulders slumping.

"What'd you have to say that for?"

Regulus smiled, obviously satisfied with himself.

"It's an ode to the Dark Lord" he said, his smile growing larger.

"Oh please, have you ever even met the Dark Lord?"

Regulus nodded.

"You're lying."

"Slytherins are known to be bad, but we aren't liars" said Regulus.

Sirius was suddenly sent back to the sorting hat ceremony at Hogwarts where he watched in horror as his brother was sorted into Slytherin while he was sorted into Gryffindor.

"The hat doesn't lie either" said Regulus, noticing the pained expression on Sirius's face.

Regulus looked towards the pictures on his wall, "do you remember how proud mum and dad were when they found out I was a Slytherin and how disappointed they were when you were placed in Gryffindor?"

Sirius let go of one of Regulus's shoulders and lifted his fist into the air.

"What are you going to do, hit me?"

Sirius's fist began to shake.

"You're not going to do it. You're weak Sirius. Always have been and always will be. That's why mum and dad favor m-"

Sirius brought his fist down and Regulus closed his eyes.

Before his hand reached his face, Sirius felt himself being pulled off of his brother.

"Get off of me" yelled Sirius, trying to escape the grip of his father.

Regulus sat up and Sirius watched as their mother collapsed beside him, hugging him.

"What have you done?" Sirius cried.

"I haven't done anything, but teach my son the difference between what is right and what is easy" replied his mother.

"Look around you, you've poisoned him!"

His mother shook her head and laughed.

"No, the only one poisoning him is you."

Sirius couldn't believe what he was hearing.

His father let go of him and he swayed where he stood.

"I hope you're happy with the choices you're making" he said to Regulus and he left the room.

Tears filled Sirius's eyes as he packed his bags.

All he had ever wanted to do was protect his brother from the dark arts, but there was no saving Regulus now.

 

 

As Sirius left, he slammed the door behind him, causing some of the pictures on the wall to fall and break.

"Aren't you going to go after him?" asked Regulus as his mother helped him up.

"No, we're better off without him. You are right on track to become a death eater. We don't need any distractions."

She kissed his forehead and left him to pick up his drawings.

As Regulus picked up the last one, he smelled something burning.

"No" he thought.

He ran into the family room and his fear became a reality.

His mother was standing in front of the large family tapestry and sparks erupted from her wand directly onto Sirius's picture.

She turned her head slightly and said, "he is no longer a member of the house of Black."

She lowered her wand, stepped back to admire her work, and smiling in Regulus's direction, went to the kitchen to make some tea.

Regulus approached the tapestry and ran his finger along the burned region.

A tear fell down his cheek and he rubbed his face, smearing charcoal all over as he did.

Turning around he found himself face to face with Kreacher.

"This is all my fault" he said, slumping to the ground in front of the tapestry and crying harder.

"Master Regulus is too hard on himself, much too hard" said Kreacher, sitting beside him.

 

 

"Remus, are you home? It's a bit cold out here and I'm starting to smell like a wet dog" said Sirius, loudly, while pounding on the front door of his friend's house.

"Will you stop that pounding? You're going to scare somebody!" came a voice from up above.

Sirius looked up and was met by the face of his friend peering out of an upstairs window.

"Why can't you stay with James?"

"James is on holiday with his family in Greece, remember?"

"Oh yeah, that's right. Bastard has yet to send me a postcard."

"That's great and all, but can you please let me inside."

"Of course. You better get rid of that wet dog smell, though" said Remus, closing the window.

"Nice to see you too, Remus" replied Sirius, smiling.

 

 

"So, Regulus has gone full dark arts?" asked Remus us as the two of them sat by the fire in Remus's living room.

"Pretty much. You should see his room. It's covered in pictures of death eaters and drawings of the dark lord."

"I didn't know he could draw."

"Neither did I" replied Sirius.

"It seems your parents have him pretty brainwashed."

"They do, but they say that I'm the one doing the brainwashing."

Remus laughed out loud.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. You're trying to make him a good person!"

"Yeah" said Sirius, staring at the fire.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just thinking about something Regulus said."

"What's that?"

"He said he's met the Dark Lord. You don't think he has, do you?"

Remus bit his lip, "he very well could have, but fourteen is a bit young."

"That's what I thought too."

"You're worried for him, aren't you?"

"I am."

"Reg is smart," assured Remus, "he'll be just fine."

"I hope so" replied Sirius.

 

 

"James, my god, will you stop flirting with all the girls and take a seat. The train is going to be leaving soon!" said Remus.

The girls James was talking to giggled loudly.

Sirius walked by with his trunk causing both girls to smile.

"I'll catch you later" said James.

"Bye" the girls said, heading to their compartment.

"How do you think that'll make Lily feel if she finds out you've been flirting with other girls?"

"She knows she's the only one for me" said James, walking ahead.

Sirius passed many unknown faces of nervous first years, but as he approached the compartment his friends were in, a familiar face caught his attention.

Regulus.

He was smiling which made Sirius smile, but as he looked up and made eye contact, Sirius saw a pain in his eyes which hadn't been there before.

Sirius had an urge to approach him, but at that moment the train started moving and their eye contact was broken causing them to go their separate ways.

Sirius put his trunk above him and took a seat with his friends who were all laughing.

"Did you see Snape? He looks worse than ever!" said James.

"He needs a haircut. He's starting to look like a woman" added Remus.

"Hey Sirius, you okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost" said Peter.

"I-I saw him."

"Who, the Dark Lord?" asked James.

"No, you idiot. Regulus" said Remus.

"How'd he look?" asked Peter.

"Different, but not in a good way. He looks unwell."

"Maybe he saw you and it made him sick" said James.

Remus nudged him in the side.

"Sorry, my bad."

Sirius was not amused and instead stared at the floor of the compartment.

"Sirius, I know you want to help, but he may be training to be a death eater, might already be one for all we know, so the only thing we can do right now is wait and see if the Dark Lord makes a move" said Remus.

Sirius looked up and smiled.

"For now, though, let's enjoy this peaceful ride to Hogwarts" said Peter.

The four friends agreed and began talking about other things.

The sorting hat ceremony was like any other.

Sirius couldn't pay attention, though.

His whole focus was on his brother.

Regulus did not cheer like the other Slytherins when a first year was sorted into their house.

Instead he sat completely still as though not entirely there.

After the ceremony was the feast.

Regulus barely ate and asked to be excused early.

Sirius stood up at the Gryffindor table as though to follow him, but Remus pulled on his pants leg to get him to sit down.

That night Sirius found it hard to socialize with others in the common room as all his thoughts were on his brother so he retreated to the bedroom where he stayed for the rest of the night.

Try as he might, he couldn't fall asleep.

The image of his brother as a death eater kept flooding his brain and however hard he tried to rid himself of these images, they'd come back each time, bigger and scarier.

 

 

The next morning, he awoke to Remus sitting at the foot of his bed.

"How long have you been sitting there?"

"A couple hours."

"A cou-"

"I turned last night. It was a full moon."

"Oh, that explains it. Did you go to the shrieking shack?"

"Yeah, I barely made it."

"Were you seen?" asked Sirius, panic in his voice.

"What do you think? Of course not!"

Sirius smiled, but his smile quickly turned to a frown.

"The nightmares, were they about Regulus?"

"Yes."

"Were they bad?"

Sirius didn't say anything, but the look he gave Remus told him that they were.

"I know he's your brother and you want him to be safe, but you need to focus on yourself. You only have two years left at Hogwarts. You might as well make those years count."

"You're right. There's no use in trying to change things that can't be changed."

"That's the spirit!" said Remus as Sirius jumped out of bed and followed him to the Great Hall to meet up with the others for breakfast.

 

 

As the months went on, Sirius seemed to have taken Remus's advice to heart and forgotten about Regulus all together.

When Christmas came around, Sirius had received top marks in all his classes and was one of the most popular students among the Gryffindors.

Instead of going home for the holiday break as he usually would have, he stayed at Hogwarts with his friends.

It was during this time that he began thinking of his brother again in the hopes that maybe he had seen the light.

 

 

Regulus opened the door to his home and was greeted by his parents.

Quick hugs were exchanged and then Regulus was led into the kitchen.

A hooded figure was seated at the table and Regulus was told to sit across from them.

His parents left the room, and the hooded figure removed the hood, revealing their face.

"My lord" said Regulus, bowing his head.

"Hello Regulus" replied the Dark Lord.

Regulus lifted his head.

"You have proven yourself very worthy in the dark arts."

Regulus's heart began to beat at an irregular pace as he anticipated what was to come.

"You have made your parents very proud and given the Black family a good name and because of that I have decided to make you a death eater."

The next few minutes were a blur, but after it was all done, Regulus was branded with the dark mark that signified he was a death eater.

Regulus's parents thanked the Dark Lord for believing in their son and he left, making Regulus believe he had been but an illusion.

"You will do great things" said his mother, admiring the mark on his wrist.

She and his father both rolled up their sleeves to reveal identical marks on their wrists.

"No one is ever going to be able to bring the house of Black down now!" said his father.

"Except Sirius" thought Regulus, but he did not say this out loud as he thought it would anger his parents.

 

 

The start of the new year brought fresh snow and a fresh batch of stories from the holiday break.

Sirius was feeling happier than ever and was looking forward to his last couple months of the school year.

"Can you believe that Snape went to Paris over break?" said James, taking a swig of his butterbeer and spilling it everywhere.

"Watch it, this shirt is new" said Remus.

James rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to miss days like these" said Peter.

"Me too" said Sirius, taking a drink of his own butterbeer.

The friends exited The Three Broomsticks and made their way through the snowy streets of Hogsmeade.

Through a window of one of the stores, Regulus watched his brother as he passed, laughing with his friends and for a split second he missed him and wish he'd come home.

Then he was reminded of the mark on his wrist and his thoughts of Sirius disappeared as fast as they appeared.

Becoming a death eater made Regulus think he was on top of the world.

He had grown a couple inches, and no longer appeared thin and weak.

His parents constantly wrote him letters full of praise and distaste for Sirius.

He found the latter a little harsh, but still replied nonetheless.

He communicated with the Dark Lord often and met with other death eaters in secret places around the school.

He was starting to take his father's words seriously that "no one is ever going to be able to bring down the house of Black now!"

But just as Regulus had thought, Sirius was going to try and interfere.

 

 

"Sirius, are you coming?" asked James, putting his books into his bag.

"Nah, I've got a few more chapters of my astronomy book to read."

"You sure? There's going to be lots of pretty girls for you to interact with."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Go have fun!"

"Okay, I'll see you later tonight."

James left the spot in the library he and Sirius had been sitting at for hours preparing for their next tests.

He was heading to a party in the Gryffindor common room, unbeknownst to the head of house, which Sirius wanted no part of.

As the hours ticked by and the sun began to set outside, Sirius found himself in need of some social interaction.

Leaving his books at his desk, he wandered through the bookshelves looking for someone to talk to.

Only there was no one.

Not a single person.

"Am I really the only one in here?" he said quietly to himself.

He headed back to his desk, but became startled by a sudden movement behind one of the shelves.

"Who's there?" he asked, his hand reaching for his wand.

A couple books fell off the shelf beside him, causing him to pull his wand straight out of his pocket and hold it up, ready to attack.

"I have my wand and I'm not afraid to use it" he said, slowly rounding the corner of the shelf as not to scare whoever or whatever was behind it.

He heard footsteps as though someone were behind him.

He turned quickly on his heels and pointed his wand in the direction of the sound.

"Stupefy!" he yelled.

Only the other person expected it and moved out of the way, yelled "expelliarmus" back at him.

Sirius didn't have time to react and his wand was thrown from his grasp and lost among the shelves.

It was dark so Sirius had no chance of finding it nor could he see the person's face, but he knew it was a male because of their voice and also their outline in the darkness.

"Show yourself!" he said, grabbing the nearest book as a way to protect himself.

"Lumos" said the other person and the wand in his hand lit up.

Sirius's eyes adjusted to the light and then he stared in horror at the face of his brother.

Regulus seemed to be just as shocked as Sirius was and backed away from him.

"I don't believe it. Out of everyone it could have been, it had to be you" said Sirius.

"Sorry to disappoint."

"What are you even doing here?"

"Looking for a book."

"What book?"

"That doesn't concern you."

"Why? Because it's a dark arts book?"

"Like I said, it doesn't concern you."

"Right" said Sirius.

Sirius stared at his brother who was barely his brother at all, but instead a version of him.

"What happened to you, Reg?"

"I chose my path and you chose yours. It's as simple as that."

"But it's not."

"Sirius, I'm not here for a sob story."

"I know, but-"

Sirius's eyes caught the faint outline of something on Regulus's wrist.

"No, you didn't..."

Regulus followed his brother's eyes to his wrist and rolling up his sleeve and pointing the tip of his wand to it, revealed his dark mark.

"When did this happen?"

"The beginning of Christmas break, right before my fifteenth birthday."

"Wh-who gave it to you?" asked Sirius, examining it closer.

"The Dark Lord" Regulus whispered.

Sirius stepped away from him.

"What? Scared of me now?" asked Regulus, pulling down his sleeve.

Sirius shook his head.

"I'm just in shock."

"Why? You knew it was only a matter of time before it happened."

"You're right, but I didn't expect it to be this soon."

"The Dark Lord said I had proved my worth and that I was ready to become a death eater."

"Have you, you know-"

"Killed anyone?"

Sirius nodded.

"No."

Sirius sighed, obviously relieved.

"It's only a matter of time before he has me do it, though."

"Just make sure it's someone who deserves it."

"You know it won't be. The Dark Lord always goes after the innocent ones."

"Promise me that you'll be safe and leave at the first sign of danger."

Regulus looked down.

"Unfortunately, that's not a promise I can keep."

In that moment, Sirius wanted to hug his brother, but he was distracted by Regulus telling him to be quiet and that someone was coming.

"Nox" said Regulus and his wand went dark.

A light close by turned on.

"Run!" Regulus yelled.

Sirius began to run, weaving in and out of the bookshelves.

He looked for Regulus, but he was nowhere to be seen.

He stopped at the desk he had been sitting at earlier in the evening and picked up his things before walking out of the entrance of the library.

"Stop right there!" someone shouted.

"Damn it" muttered Sirius under his breath.

A man Sirius recognized as Hogwarts caretaker stood before him, his wand in one hand, and Sirius's in the other.

"Mr. Black, would you care to explain to me what you're doing here after hours?"

"Studying."

The caretaker eyed him suspiciously.

"By the looks of the mess over there," he said, pointing his lit wand towards a pile of books on the floor, "you were doing a lot more than just studying."

"I can explain!" Sirius argued.

"Detention Mr. Black!"

"Detention? You can't be serious!"

"You want me to make it two detentions?"

"No, sir."

"That's what I thought. Report to my office tomorrow evening and we can discuss your punishment."

"Yay!" said Sirius, his voice lacking enthusiasm.

The caretaker glared at him.

"Goodnight, Mr. Black."

"Goodnight" replied Sirius, watching him leave.

Sirius looked down at his bag and realized he didn't have his wand.

"Sir!" he called after the caretaker.

The caretaker turned around.

"What now?"

"My wand."

"I was going to keep it overnight and return it to you tomorrow, but I guess that wouldn't be fair since a wizard needs their wand."

He handed it back to Sirius, who thanked him.

Sirius shoved it in his bag and left the library as quickly as he possibly could.

Once he knew the coast was clear, Regulus climbed out from his hiding place underneath one of the desks and left the library as though nothing had happened.

 

 

That night as James, Remus, and Peter were forced to clean up the aftermath of their little get together in the common room, Sirius told them what had happened in the library.

"Detention?" said Remus, using his wand to take down decorations.

"Yeah, who knows what he'll have me do. Probably something boring like alphabetize books in the library since that's where I was found."

"Did Regulus get detention too?"

"No, he disappeared."

"Asshole" said James.

"Hey now," said Peter, "you tried to tell the head of house the party was my idea!"

Sirius laughed, "why'd you do that?"

"Because he can't afford to get detention again" said Remus.

"Did you get out of it?"

"Of course not! Head of house knew it was my idea the minute she entered the room."

"Even better than that was the look on Lily's face when she found out he got detention again."

"Was she furious?"

"You could say that!" said James.

"She's quite a catch. Better not mess that one up" said Remus, winking at James.

James threw a wet rag at Remus, who in return bewitched the bucket beside him to pour water all over him.

Peter got up and hid behind a couch, but soon the bucket found him too and dumped its contents all over him.

The bucket headed next to Sirius, but Remus, noticing Sirius looking at this wrist, lowered his wand, causing the bucket to dump the remainder at his feet.

"It's so much different hearing about the dark mark and actually seeing it in person" said Sirius, noticing his friend's concerned looks.

"Don't your parents have dark marks?" asked Peter.

"Yeah, but I never saw them. They were always covered."

"Regulus said it was only a matter of time before the Dark Lord had him kill someone," Sirius continued, "I fear it could be any one of us."

"Why? We haven't done anything to piss off the Dark Lord" said James.

"He's ruthless and he doesn't care if you've done him any wrong. He'll kill you for simply existing" said Sirius, standing up and pacing around the room.

"You don't think the Dark Lord is going to have Regulus kill you, do you?"

"I don't know" said Sirius.

"Well, if he tries anything, know that the marauders have your back" said Peter.

"Thanks," said Sirius, "now if you'll excuse me, I've had enough excitement for one day."

His friends bid him farewell and he left them to clean up the rest of their party mess.

 

 

The next evening Sirius served detention and as he had guessed, it was spent alphabetizing books in the library.

After three agonizing hours, Sirius was free to go, but only after promising it would not happen again.

The hallways were relatively empty except for the occasional teacher that smiled in Sirius's direction.

"I guess they don't know I just got out of detention" he said, taking a seat outside of the potions classroom where James was inside serving out his detention.

Seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned to hours and Sirius had resorted to lying on his back and counting the number of ceiling tiles out of boredom.

After counting 465 tiles, The door to the classroom opened and Sirius perked up, but instead of James, it was Regulus.

"You have got to be kidding me!" he said, putting his head in his hands.

Regulus turned his head in Sirius's direction.

"Oh, Sirius, I didn't see you there! How was detention?"

Sirius lifted his head slowly.

"Just wonderful. Thank you for asking" he said, sarcastically. 

"I hope it wasn't too boring, and oh, speaking of detention, James should be done shortly."

Sirius didn't know why Regulus was being so nice to him, but it had gotten on his last nerve.

He got up and aggressively pushed Regulus against a pillar.

"Cut the phony bullshit right now!" he said.

"Now, now, Sirius, you remember what happened the last time we got into an argument..."

"Yeah, but this time, I'm going to make sure that I punch you in the fuc-"

"My word, what has gotten into you boys?" said the potion teacher.

"He started it!" said Regulus, defensively.

"I don't care who started it, but I recommend you come inside before I report both of you to the headmaster and he makes you do something much worse than cleaning a couple dirty old cauldrons!"

As annoyed as Sirius was, he had to obey.

"I don't know about you, but the Regulus over there cleaning out the potions cupboard, does not seem like he's working for the Dark Lord" said James, wiping dirt off a rather large cauldron.

"Mr. Potter, what did I tell you about talking?"

"Sorry, professor" said James, eyeing him as he sat at his desk reading a book.

"It's all an act," Sirius said quietly, "he's doing it on purpose."

"But what if he is?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe he's pretending to like the dark arts more than he actually does as a way to get close to the Dark Lord?"

Sirius's eyes widened.

"No, that never occurred to me."

Sirius looked towards his brother who was labeling potions and putting them into their rightful places on the shelves,

"But he has the dark mark. I saw it myself. There's no acting when it comes to that."

"That's true, but I don't know, something just seems weird about the whole thing" said James, looking at Regulus as well.

Turning back to his cauldron, he realized he wasn't even halfway done.

"God, why is this taking so long?" he said loudly.

"You'd already be done if you actually spent time cleaning and not talking to your friend" said the potions teacher, lowering his book.

James wanted to reply, but he knew the things he wanted to say would just land him in detention again, so he stayed silent.

 

 

That night as Sirius lay in bed, he couldn't help but wonder if James was right.

Could Regulus be acting?

If he was, then he was doing a mighty good job of it.

_But the pictures in his room and his dark mark and..._

Sirius decided it was best not to worry about it and went to sleep.

 

The rest of the school year went on without any problems.

Sirius stayed out of detention, but had to help James talk his way out of quite a few sticky situations. 

At the end of the school year, Sirius moved in with James and his family, and stayed there for the next three years.

Regulus remained at number 12 Grimmauld Place and practiced the dark arts often under the direction of his parents.

On a cold and rainy day similar to the one when Sirius ran away, Regulus was greeted by the Dark Lord.

"I need your assistance" he told Regulus.

"Yes, anything!" Regulus replied.

"I require a house elf."

Regulus didn't hesitate.

"Kreacher!" he called out.

Kreacher came stumbling into the room.

"Yes, master?"

Noticing the Dark Lord, he bowed.

"You've taught him well, Regulus. He will be perfect for what it is that I ask of him."

"And what exactly is that?"

The Dark Lord smiled and then explained to the two of them that he needed someone who wasn't human to test a protective spell on.

As he finished, Regulus kneeled down so that he was at Kreacher's level.

"When you are done, you are to return back to me, alright?"

Kreacher shook his head.

Regulus stood up and watched as Kreacher took the Dark Lord's hand and the two of them dissasperated.

 

 

Regulus was not one to worry, but it had been over an hour since Kreacher had left with the Dark Lord and he found himself getting anxious.

he lay on his bed, staring at the moving pictures all around him, when a loud popping noise startled him into a sitting position.

"Kreacher?" he said, his voice full of panic.

"I'm here, Master"

Regulus found Kreacher slumped against the wall, gasping for breath.

"Kreacher, are you alright?"

Kreacher looked up and his eyes met with Regulus's. 

"Help me" he said.

Regulus caught Kreacher as he fell and held him in his arms.

"Kreacher did all that the Dark Lord asked of him. He drank the potion even though it made him sick-"

"What potion, Kreacher?"

"The potion protecting-"

"How much did you drink?"

"The whole thing" replied Kreacher, his eyes closing and his chest going still.

"Kreacher?" Regulus said, shaking him slightly.

Kreacher didn't move.

Regulus shook him again.

He still didn't budge.

"Kreacher, please wake up." said Regulus, his eyes filling with tears, and hugging the house elf.

Kreacher opened his eyes slightly which caused Regulus to hug him tighter.

Regulus placed Kreacher on his bed, and making sure he was comfortable, began tearing down all the pictures on his wall.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Regulus reached for his wand and pointed it at the Dark Lord who had appeared in his doorway.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The Dark Lord was not phased by the killing curse Regulus had produced and in return yelled his own spell.

"Crucio!"

Regulus's wand fell to the floor and his body began convulsing.

"Stop it!" he screamed.

He howled in pain as his body contorted into strange positions.

"Whose side are you on?" the Dark Lord asked, his wand held high.

"Yours" said Regulus.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

The pain was agonizing and Regulus felt himself beginning to fade into unconciousness.

The Dark Lord did not loosen up, but instead repeated the spell.

Regulus wailed in pain.

The Dark Lord did not stop until he noticed Kreacher watching him from Regulus's bed.

He lowered his wand as Regulus struggled to his feet. 

"You choose to defy me because of a house elf?"

"You tried to kill him!" said Regulus, clutching his stomach and lying beside Kreacher on his bed.

"I did nothing, but tell him to drink from the potion" assured the Dark Lord.

"What was at the bottom of it?" Regulus asked.

"A locket."

"My house elf nearly died over a locket?" he said, his voice full of venom.

"I don't know why your anger is directed at me. You were the one who volunteered him."

"I know," said Regulus, "my first mistake."

Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it at Regulus, "be glad it wasn't you because if the potion didn't kill you, then I would have."

He lowered his wand and giving one last look at Regulus and Kreacher, disapparated once more. 

Regulus felt as though his insides were going to explode and every bone in his body had been broken.

He struggled to stay awake, but the pain was just too much.

He shut his eyes and gave in to the darkness.

 

 

He awoke later in the day to find Kreacher was not beside him.

He began to panic, but seeing a glass of water and some soup beside his bed, he knew it was Kreacher's doing.

He drank the water and ate as much of the soup as his stomach would permit and then headed downstairs to find Kreacher in front of the family tapestry.

"Master Regulus, you are awake."

"Yeah, are mum and dad back yet?"

"I'm afraid not" replied Kreacher.

"Good," said Regulus, "I need you to tell me everything."

 Kreacher told Regulus of a cave and a basin which was filled to the brim with potion, a potion that burned at your throat and made you thirsty.

If you went to the waters edge, however, to drink, you risked being pulled in and drowned by Inferi. 

The next thing Kreacher knew, Regulus had gone upstairs and returned with his bag packed.

"Where are you going, master?"

"Not just me, the both of us"

"Then where are the both of us going?"

"I'm not sure yet, but we can't stay here. It's not safe."

He put his bag over his shoulder and headed towards the front door.

"If my parents are to come home while I'm out, do not tell them anything of what occurred and if I am to find somewhere safe, I will call to you and you will come to me."

"Yes, master Regulus" said Kreacher.

Regulus pulled his hood over his head and left the house.

 

 

He wandered the streets, making sure not to look anyone in the eye in case they were a death eater.

When he reached the small house with the picket fence around it, he was reluctant to knock on the door.

He removed his hood, and taking a deep breath, knocked.

"I'll get it" said Mrs. Potter, leaving James and Sirius in the kitchen.

"Who do you reckon it is?" asked Sirius.

"Probably just the postman delivering a package" replied James.

Mrs. Potter returned a moment later, a strange look on her face.

"Mum, is everything okay?"

She ignored James and instead turned to Sirius, "it's for you."

"For me?"

She nodded and stepping aside, revealed Regulus standing behind her.

"YOU!" Sirius said, rising from his chair.

"Hello, Sirius" said Regulus, extending a hand to his brother.

Sirius did not embrace him, but walked right up to him and punched him the face.

Regulus fell to the floor and the timer on the oven went off, causing Mrs. Potter to jump and James to stand up and get the cookies out so they wouldn't burn.

 

 

"What makes you think I'm going to help you?" Sirius said.

He, James, and Regulus were now seated outside in the backyard with a plate of cookies in front of them.

"I'm not asking anything of you that will get you killed. I just need a safe place to stay" said Regulus, pressing an ice pack to his cheek.

"You couldn't have found one on your own?"

"No, the Dark Lord would have found me in a heartbeat."

"How? 

"My mark" replied Regulus.

"You mean to tell me he knows where you are at all times because of your mark?"

"Not at all times, but-"

"How do we know you aren't playing us and he isn't on his way here right now to kill us all?" Sirius interrupted.

"He's not!" 

"I don't believe you."

"Sirius, I promise you. He tried to kill Kreacher and then used the cruciatus curse on me. Do you really think I'd put all of us in danger on purpose?"

"You're putting us in danger right now by being here!" Sirius shrieked.

"What is it going to take for you to trust me?" said Regulus, his voice somewhat distraught.

"I'm sorry, Reg, but you're on your own."said Sirius, heading towards the house.

"Sirius!" said James.

Sirius stopped and faced his friend.

"It wouldn't hurt just to find him somewhere to stay."

"Do you not understand? If the Dark Lord finds out we helped him, he'll come here and murder all of us. You, me, your parents. He'll leave no survivors."

"I know, but death eater aside, Regulus is still your brother."

The word "brother" caused Sirius to stop dead in his tracks.

"I know we've never gotten along, but I'm asking for your help as your brother."

Sirius exhaled, "Fine, I'll help you."

"Thank you" said Regulus.

"I'll help you on the condition that if the Dark Lord is to find you, you have to make sure he stays away from everyone else."

"I'll make sure of it."

"Good," said Sirius, "now let's find you someplace safe before I punch you again."

 

 

Regulus was sent to a small house in the countryside, far away from society.

Kreacher had come to him immediately after he had settled in.

Sirius had food delivered to him by a random owl so that the Dark Lord was unable to track it and Regulus barely went outside, except when the weather was good, but even then he kept a low profile.

He spent most of his days with his head in a book, trying to figure out what was so special about the Dark Lord's locket that it needed a form of protection around it.

"The locket, what did it look like?" Regulus asked Kreacher one day..

"It was gold with a silver chain and was able to be opened."

"Do you recall seeing anything inside of it?"

"No."

Regulus was getting frustrated.

"No one, not even someone studying the Dark Arts would care that much about a lo-"

All of a sudden, something in one of Regulus's books caught his eye.

"Kreacher, have you ever heard of a horcrux?"

"No, master. What is that?"

Regulus began reading out loud, " _A horcrux is a powerful object in which a Dark wizard or witch has hidden a fragment of his or her soul for the purpose of attaining immortality. Creating a horcrux can give one the ability to anchor one's own soul to earth if the body was destroyed._ "

The book fell from Regulus's hands, "Kreacher, I think that locket is a horcrux."

Upon this discovery, Regulus began researching all that he could about horcruxes and the more he read, the more he was convinced that the locket was in fact a horcrux.

He began writing down notes and on a rather dark and desolate evening, presented Kreacher with a locket almost identical to the one he had described.

"Where did Master Regulus get this? It looks like the real one."

"I made it."

The house elf stared at him in disbelief.

Regulus handed the locket to Kreacher, who ran his fingers over the silver chain and circular gold emblem. 

He opened it up to find a crumpled piece of paper inside.

"Take it out" said Regulus.

Kreacher did as he was told and unfolding the paper, noticed it had writing on it. 

Regulus's writing.

"What does it say?" Kreacher asked, handing it to Regulus.

 

" _To the Dark Lord  
_

_I_ _know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret._

_I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can._

_I face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more."_

_-R.A.B._

 

Regulus finished reading it and smiled proudly.

 "But master, you don't have the real locket."

"Not yet" said Regulus, "but you're going to take me to it."

 

 

The next morning Regulus and Kreacher woke up earlier than usual. 

Regulus packed his bag with the fake locket and a couple notes about horcruxes, and taking one last look at the home which had sheltered he and Kreacher for the past month, he shut the door behind him and followed Kreacher to a field close by.

"I want you to think of the cave" he told him.

Kreacher closed his eyes and grabbing Regulus's hand, the two of them disapparated. 

 

 

Regulus found himself and Kreacher standing on a large rock at the foot of a mountainside.

Directly in front of him lay the cave, a large, dark opening that seemed hardly inviting.

He followed Kreacher inside, letting him lead the way.

The deeper in the cave they went, the darker it got.

"Lumos" he said, pointing his wand into the darkness.

As the light hit the walls of the cave, Regulus became aware of a large island before him and an even larger pool surrounding it.

Kreacher suddenly stopped and tugged on Regulus's shirt.

"The boat" he said, pointing towards the water.

"Where, I don't see any boat?"

"Look again."

Regulus squinted in the darkness and his eyes grew large as they registered the faint outline of a boat coming their way.

"You first" said Kreacher as the boat reached the shore.

Regulus climbed aboard and Kreacher stepped on after him.

The boat began sailing to the island on its own.

The closer it got to the island,the faster Regulus's heart began to race.

Regulus didn't dare look over the edge for fear of what he might see.

The boat reached the island he and Kreacher got off. 

Kreacher led the way once more, pausing in front of a large basin which Regulus knew held the real locket.

Regulus removed his bag from his shoulder and unzipping it, found the fake locket, and put it around his neck.

"If I die in here, you are not to tell anyone what happened" he said, standing over the basin and staring at his reflection in the black potion.

"They will ask questions most likely" replied Kreacher.

"If they do, just tell them I was killed by the Dark Lord."

"I will."

"And if I'm unable to destroy the locket myself, you need to be the one to do it."

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you, Kreacher. You have been a great servant."

"It was my pleasure. Anything for Master Regulus."

Regulus almost regretted what he was doing, but he knew he was the only one who was going to be able to reveal the Dark Lord's secret.

Taking a deep breath, he filled a shell with the dark liquid, and brought it to his lips.

The potion burned his throat as it went down.

No matter how much it hurt, he kept drinking.

He drank and drank and drank until he thought he couldn't drink anymore.

"You must drink more" said Kreacher.

"I can't" said Regulus, his face an awful white color, and his body needing water.

"Think of Sirius."

Regulus stared once more into the half empty basin, and filling the shell again, drank even more.

His throat was now so dry, he couldn't even tell if the potion was going down. 

He stuck the shell into the basin again and swallowed its contents once more. 

"Kreacher, please" he begged grabbing at his throat. 

The house elf looked at him with despair in his eyes and shook his head, "you have to finish it, master."

Regulus took another sip and screamed as it went down as though it had set a fire inside of him. 

He looked to Kreacher with tears in his eyes.

"One more sip" said Kreacher, motioning to the last of the potion.

By the time Regulus finished, he was as white as a sheet and shaking violently as though he was freezing to death and trying to stay warm. 

With trembling hands, he took the real locket out of the basin and handed it to Kreacher.

He then took the one off own his neck and put it in the old one's place.

"It is done" he said, his voice dry.

He grabbed the shell and looking around,realized the only source of water was the lake surrounding the island.

"Master, we must go" said Kreacher as Regulus crouched to the water's edge.

"No-I need water."

"But what about destroying the locket? Shouldn't we at least try?"

"No, it can wait" said Regulus as he stuck the shell into the water and began drinking. 

The burning sensation in his throat disappeared and his skin tone returned to its natural color.

He stood up, turning his back to the lake.

"Much better" he said, taking a step towards Kreacher.

Instantaneously, as though by magic, Regulus felt something grab onto his ankle.

He tried to escape the grasp, but it was stronger than he was, and it was pulling him towards the water.

Regulus began to panic and as a result, he fell.

He tried to crawl towards safety, but another hand grabbed onto his other ankle, making it almost impossible for him to break free.

He felt the cold water hit his feet and he began screaming as more hands grabbed onto him.

He was in to his stomach, and then up to his neck.

Looking towards the shore, he saw what looked like skeletons trying to climb up and attack Kreacher.

"Kreacher," he yelled, his head bobbing in and out of the water, "Kreacher, get out of here!"

Kreacher stared at his master and for the first time he almost didn't take an order, but with the Inferi getting nearer to him, he had no choice.

He snapped his fingers and Regulus watched as he disappeared.

"Goodbye Kreacher" Regulus said as the Inferi attacked him.

They pulled at his arms and legs and pushed him underwater so that his screams could not be heard.

As they brought him to the surface one last time, Regulus took what he knew would be his last breath.

He closed his eyes and let the cold water fill his lungs as he was dragged to the deepest and darkest depths of the lake and drowned.

 

 

"Regulus fought valiantly, my lady, but it just wasn't enough" Kreacher said, telling the Blacks about their son's demise.

"Did he suffer?" asked Mrs. Black through tears.

"N-No" Kreacher stuttered, knowing that his answer was a lie.

"Does Sirius know?" asked Mr. Black.

"He does not, but I intend on telling him."

The Blacks thanked Kreacher for giving them the news and dismissed him.

Instead of leaving to find Sirius right away, Kreacher went to Sirius's room and taking the real locket from around his neck, placed it somewhere he knew no one would look.

He would try to destroy it later, but for now he needed it in a safe place.

As he left Sirius's room, he passed Regulus's old room.

He paused in the doorway and stared at the unmade bed and papers all over the ground from when Regulus had begun tearing them down.

He was surprised no one had cleaned it up since the two of them had left so he took it upon himself to do it. 

It didn't take him long at all and when he finished he took a step back to stare at his work.

His ears were met with the wails of Regulus's mother crying out for her son. 

He bowed his head in sadness and when the cries became unbearable for him, he left to tell Sirius.

 

 

Sirius was still living with the Potters at the time.

"You haven't been found, have you?" said Sirius upon seeing the house elf. 

"No" replied Kreacher.

"Then why are you here?"

Kreacher hesitated slightly. 

"Spit it out!" said Sirius, his voice somewhat angry.

"Regulus is dead" said Kreacher.

"H-he's what?" Sirius said, his tone completely changing.

House elves were honest and loyal creatures, but Regulus couldn't be dead. Kreacher had to be lying.

"Wh-when? How?" Sirius asked.

"Yesterday. The Dark Lord killed him."

"I thought you said you hadn't been found."

"We hadn't, but-"

"If you hadn't been found then how did the Dark Lord find him?"

"You see, master Reg-"

"Answer the damn question, Kreacher!" 

Sirius was yelling again.

"Regulus hated being cooped up in that little house and he got bored very easily. One day he went on a walk and when he didn't return I went looking for him and found him dueling the Dark Lord"

"Why didn't you stop him?"

"I tried, but he said it was between the two of them."

"Did he stand a chance?"

"No, not long after I arrived, the Dark Lord hit him with the killing curse. He was dead before he hit the ground."

Sirius closed his eyes as he was blinded by tears.

"What happened to his body?"

"The Dark Lord took it."

"Why? What could he possibly want with my brother's body?"

"He'll use it as a way to show his followers what happens if you aren't loyal to him."

The words came so easily to Kreacher, making him almost believe his own lie and forget what really happened. 

But this lie caused Sirius to cry even harder.

"Do you require anything else?" asked Kreacher. 

"No, you are free to return to Grimmauld Place" Sirius said to Kreacher through tears. 

Kreacher nodded in acknowledgment and disapparated. 

"Regulus, my brother, is dead..." Sirius said, calmly. 

He looked out the window at the world outside which had not ceased, but instead kept on going as though nothing bad had happened. 

He began to sob hysterically, quietly at first, and then much louder as what had happened resonated with him.

The Potters, hearing his cries, came running to his aid.

 

 

The _Daily Prophet_ would later describe Regulus as a "hero" for having the guts to stand up to the Dark Lord.

Sirius didn't read the article of course because he thought that since it was featured in the _Daily Prophet,_ it had to be garbage, but he kept a copy because he liked the picture they used of his brother.

"Where will you go?" James asked as he watched Sirius pack his bags.

"Far away from here" replied Sirius.

"I'm sorry I can't go with you. I would if I could" said James, his voice apologetic.

"It's fine. You're needed here. Anyway, this is something that I need to do on my own."

Mr. and Mrs. Potter said their goodbyes and James followed Sirius outside to say the last goodbye.

"Do you think we'll ever see each other again?"

"Of course" said Sirius.

James smiled.

Sirius was not ready for another goodbye even though he knew James would be waiting for him whenever he returned.

He hugged James and then went on his way down the road.

"Sirius," James called after him.

"What?" Sirius called back.

"I forgot to tell you, Lily and I decided on a baby name!"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Harry."

"Harry Potter," Sirius said, "I like it."

"Maybe he'll be here by the time you return."

"We'll see" said Sirius.

"He can't grow up without his Godfather, you know."

"Okay, James, you're trying to guilt me into staying now."

"So what if I am?"

"So long James" said Sirius, waving.

James waved back and went back into the house, closing the door behind him.

 

Sirius walked among the houses, imagining that each one had a family similar to the Potters living in it.

A part of him wished that Regulus had been alive to experience that.

"He would have done well with a wife and kids" Sirius thought, walking towards the woods as the sun was setting.

 

 

Kreacher kept his promise to Regulus and never spoke a word about what had happened in the cave to anyone.

That was until seventeen years later when a dark haired, green eyed boy with a lightning bolt scar and his two friends came to number 12 Grimmauld Place with his locket.

 


End file.
